Process of bleaching nuts.



E. HAYES n T. H. LAMBERT.

PROCESS OP BLEACHING NUTS. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 8, 1908.

Paten-ced June 20, 1911.

l 995,598.l A

FRANK HAYES AND THOMAS H. LAMBERT, 0F EL MONTE, CALIFORNIA.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, FRANK HAYES and -Tnoivms H. LAMBERT, both citizens ofthe United States, residing at El Honte, in the county of Los Angeles and State of ACalifornia, have invent-ed a new and useful Process of Bleaching. Nuts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process which is'particularly adapted for bleaching English walnuts, although itmay be used'in other connections.

In the usual process of`bleaching walnuts the walnuts are 'immersed in a bleaching liquid, consisting for example/of water containing free chlorin', and are then' rerrfoved from the liquid and allowed/to stand, or are shipped. Such a process is liable to cause `the walnuts to be soaked or lled with water `to suchv an eXtent that they are difficult to dry and in many cases will spoil in storage or shipping.-

English walnuts have an opening or crack at the stem end, and when the nuts are placed ina bleaching solution, more orA fless'of the'solution permeates through this opening into the inside of the shell, andin bleaching by.immersi'o n in a liquid a large percentage of the nuts are spoiled by becoming soaked with the bleaching liquid.

The main object of the present invention is to provide for bleaching the walnuts in such manner that there is no possibility of `thevalnuts becoming' water soaked or nlled with water.y f v Another object of the invention is to exi' pedite the bleaching process by eliminating l the long process' of'dryin'g:

Other objects" of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus suitable for carrying out the view of process. Y

Figure 1 is a longitudinalview of the apparatus. Fig.. 2 is a transverse sectional the apparatus on the line oo2-m2 1n Fig.41. Fig. 3 is a plan of an end of the apparatus. l

The apparatus comprises a chamber 1 which may be formed of wood in the shape of tunnel, thefloor 2 of said chamber being movable longitudinally on suitable supporting means, -for example, link-hangers 3. Inlet and outlet openings are provided at the respective ends of the Ichamber 1 and a feed chute t extends into PROCES OF BLEACHING' NUTS.

`tion thereof.

bleaching the inlet openings to deliver walnuts onto the floor or table 2, the said table or floor 'eX- Speccation of rEiffel-,ters Patent. Patented Junf), 1911, Application led December 9, 1908.

tends beyond the outletl opening so that the walnuts may pass from the chamber tosaid outlet opening when still onl said table. A

Hap 6' of `fabricv or other suitable material may be provided at the outlet opening to substantially close the same while permitting passage of the walnuts under said flap. A screen 8 is attached at one end to the table 2 and is supported on suitable means such as links 9 permitting longitudinal mosieve 8 are horizontal from the receiving-to the delivery end of the machine. The motion on the hangers causes the walnuts to pass forwardly thereon and means are provided forimparting longitudinal reciprocation to these members to cause the lwalnuts to travel slowly therealong, and simultaneously agitate the walnuts causing them to rotate, thus bringing all portions of the wal The table 2 andv screenor nut upward. Such means may consist off connecting rods 10 pivoted to 'said screen and operated by crank means 11 on a driving shaft 12 driven by `suitable power connection. Any suitable Vmeans such as adelivery trough 13 may -be provided underV the delivery end of the screenorz sieveyS toireceive the nuts therefrom.

Means are provided for forcing. or injecti ing into the chamber 1- atomized or finely' .divided bleachingmedium, said means` consistingfor example ofa pump 14 connected to any suitable supply of bleaching liquor and having a delivery pipe 15 leading i'to the chamber 1 and providedvtherein' with any desired numberV of nozzles 416 which?? spray the liquor in a finely tion int-o said chamber.

The process is carried on as follows: The

walnuts are placed on the feed chutellfad 'divided condipassed therefrom into the chamber1 .`and"= onto the table `2, the 'reciprocatory motion r`of the table in connection with-the link support thereof causingy the walnuts t0v pass slowly from the receiving to the delivery end v of the chamber. bleaching liquor. supply means vlll is set in operation to cause the nely divided spray of bleaching liquid to be directed intothe chamber 1 and onto nuts on the table 2. The liquid which it is preferred to use for this purpose is obtained by the electrolysis of sodium chlor-id solution, such a solution bev-V At the same time thei ing subjected to the action of electric curproper proportion of 'free chlorin therein for bleachin the walnut and the solution is forced lnto t e chamber l, as stated, in such vmanner that it reaches the surface of the walnuts in a finely divided or atomized condition, coating all parts of the surface with a film or thin layer of bleaching liquid without any. liability of penetrating or running into -the interior of the walnuts. As the walnuts turn over and over .in their passage along the table 2 every part of each `walnut is exposed to the action of the gas in chamber 1 and the particles'of liquidsuspended in the ainin said chamber are gradually .deposited on said 'walnuts as they pass through the chamber. As there is no draft through the chamber l waste of gas from the liquid is reduced to a minimum. The nuts passing fromthe delivery end of the table 2 fall on the :screen or sieve 8 and pass along the saine. There is a tendency of a film or layer of water on the nuts'to gravitate to and 'through the screen, and the shaking motion dislodges -any drops ,of lwater which may be collected on the nuts, so' that the nuts leave the screen with a surface but slightly dampened and without any actual accumulationof water on any portion thereof. As a consequence the nuts dry immediately or shortly after they are delivered from the screenand may be packed or shipped with-` out any deterioration by absorbed moistirg.,

It is obvious that the agitation of the nuts lmay be accomplished by various means and `we do'not limit ourselves to the particular mechanical embodiment shown or described.

What we claim is l. The process of bleaching nuts having shells which are permeable to liquid which` consists in agitating the nuts and coat- Zing the nutsl with a thin superficial film of bleaching liquid during the agitation and thereafter causing or allowing the film of liquid to dry oif from the nuts whereby uniform superficial bleaching action is effected on thel surface of the nuts without permeation of bleaching liquid into the interior of the shells of the nuts.

2. The process of bleaching nuts having shells which are permeableuto liquid which consists in agitating the nuts and exposing the nuts to a iinely divided spray of bleach- .ing liquid during the agitation to form a thin superficial film of bleaching liquid bleaching liquid into lthe mixtes allowing the film of liquid to dry ofl from the nuts whereby uniform superficial bleaching action is effected on the surface of the nuts without permeation of interior of the shells of the nuts.

3. The process of bleaching nuts having shells which are permeable to liquid which consists in agitating the nutsand causing nuts to traverse a chamber and 'exposing the nu'ts while being agitated in said chamber to a finely divided spray of bleaching liquid to form a thin superficial film of bleaching liquid on the nuts and thereafter causing or allowing the film of liquid to dry'oif from the nuts whereby uniform superficial bleaching' action is effected on the surface'of the vnuts without permeation of bleaching liquid into the interior of the shells of the nuts.

4c. The process of bleaching nuts having.

shells which are permeable to liquid which `:onsists in agitating the nuts and exposing them during the agitation to a finely divided y. spray of bleaching liquid to form a thin Superficial film of bleaching liquid on 'the nuts and subsequently agitating the nuts over a surface capable of permitting av dischargev of excess of liquid from the nuts, and thereafter causing or allowing the film of liquid to dry oif from the nuts whereby uniform superficial bleaching action isl effected on the surface of the nutsy without permeation of bleaching liquid'into the int'erior of the shells of thenuts.

5. The process of bleaching nuts having shells which are permeable .to 'liquid which consists in providing a quantity of nuts within a substantially closed'ohamber, agitating the nuts and simultaneously spraying the nuts With a bleaching agent, and thereafter causing or allowing the lm of liquid to dry olf from the nuts whereby uniform superficial bleaching action is e'ected on the surface of the nuts without permeation of bleaching liquid into the interior of the shells of the nuts. e

In' testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands at LosuAngeles'California this 27th day of November 1908.

` FRANK HAYES. THOMAS H. LAMBERT.

In presence of--l Y ARTHUR P. KNIGHT,

FRANK L. GRAHAM..

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